Skip to main content

Successful trials ‘prove effectiveness’ of speed limiting technology on buses

Transport for London (TfL) has completed trials of intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology fitted to buses. The trials saw the technology, which prevents vehicles from accelerating over speed limits, fully tested on two bus routes that included a variety of road environments and differing speed limits. All buses fitted with ISA remained within the speed limit 97-99 per cent of the time, which TfL says proves the effectiveness of ISA. The extremely rare incidents of excess speeds were seen on downhi
March 18, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
1466 Transport for London (TfL) has completed trials of intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology fitted to buses. The trials saw the technology, which prevents vehicles from accelerating over speed limits, fully tested on two bus routes that included a variety of road environments and differing speed limits.

All buses fitted with ISA remained within the speed limit 97-99 per cent of the time, which TfL says proves the effectiveness of ISA. The extremely rare incidents of excess speeds were seen on downhill sections of road.

TfL says the trials were particularly effective when travelling through 20mph zones, which are being widely introduced and cover around a quarter of London’s roads, helping to ensure other vehicles in the area adhered to the limit.

As part of the Mayor’s bus safety standard for London, that he announced last month, TfL intends to require all new buses from 2017 to have this technology fitted.

Related Content

  • December 11, 2014
    Croydon’s first pure electric ‘emission free’ buses hit the streets
    Transport for London (TfL), Arriva and UK bus manufacturer Optare have introduced the latest electric buses to the capital’s fleet. The two Optare MetroCity buses are now in service in Croydon on a route is used by around 4,700 passengers a day. The buses are the latest addition to Europe’s greenest bus fleet and will increase TfL’s experience and understanding of this relatively new technology. The buses have zero tail pipe emissions at point of use, resulting in lower overall carbon emissions.
  • June 5, 2014
    The twisting path to enforcement’s future
    Survey reveals some division of views about enforcement’s future as Colin Sowman discovers. Technological advances and legislative changes pose many questions for those involved in road enforcement, ranging from the changing demands of privacy and data protection legislation to the practicalities on multi-speed enforcement. So to get the industry’s views ITS International took soundings on some of these bigger questions. In a world where many vehicles are fitted with GPS linked ‘black box’ telematics system
  • July 14, 2014
    Report proposes autonomous transport system for London
    A wide-ranging report produced by transport expert Professor David Begg, A 2050 vision for London, looks at the impact that the rise of autonomous transport systems might have on UK cities, and in particular London. Begg’s report proposes 10mph zones for traffic near schools and in busy areas and suggests that the safety of and efficiency of London's transport network could be improved by the introduction of driverless vehicles. Speeds for automated buses could be restricted by remote control, while
  • December 16, 2021
    E-scooter fires spark TfL ban 
    Defective lithium-ion batteries to blame; £1,000 fines for people who don't comply